This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the presently described embodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the described embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light and not as admissions of prior art.
Downhole tools, such as logging tools, steering and measurement tools, drilling tools, among others, are typically sent into boreholes formed deep within the earth. These tools may often be subject to the high temperatures of the downhole environment. Most downhole tools include an electronics portion. These downhole electronics are usually packaged in an atmospheric environment inside a pressure housing. In some cases, the temperature in the borehole can exceed the operating limit of some electronics components. In such cases, components with high temperature ratings may be selected by design, or various mechanisms are used to keep the electronics temperature below the operating limit. Such mechanism may include but are not limited to thermal flasks, thermoelectric coolers, heat pipes, etc.
Additionally, aside from high bolehole temperatures, many of these electronic components are power-consuming electronics which may generate a large amount of heat on their own. This can also cause component temperature to rise beyond the operating limit if the generated heat is not managed properly. For example, even the most power efficient metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) can generate significant amount of heat during operation. Thus, heat management is an ongoing object of downhole tool design.